Helping pass historic climate funding legislation and securing a new National Monument in Colorado are among the key conservation successes achieved in 2022 by Outdoor Alliance, a non-profit working on behalf of the human-powered outdoor recreation community to protect public lands and waters. Outdoor Alliance highlighted its achievements over the past year in its  recently released 2022 annual report. 

During 2022, Outdoor Alliance held 224 meetings with lawmakers, generated more than 40,000 letters supporting conservation issues through its action alerts and released 100 data sets providing statistics to support conservation-related work. Those ongoing efforts helped lead to the following wins: 

  • 278,804 acres protected through the Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument
  • 225,504 acres protected through a 20-year mineral withdrawal in the Boundary Waters
  • $4 billion to address water conservation efforts in the Colorado River Basin 
  • $2.6 billion to restore and protect coastal communities and wildlife habitat 
  • $2 billion supporting wildfire resilience efforts on National Forests
  • $1.5 billion supporting urban green space initiatives through the Urban and Community Forestry program
  • $20 million for deferred maintenance projects on National Parks
  • $500 million for staffing at the National Park Service
  • $700 million for USFS wildfire USFS Forest Legacy Program

These allocations in funding for specific conservation initiatives stem from components in the country’s largest ever climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act. That legislation, passed in August 2022, allocates $369 billion in funding to address the climate crisis. 

“The outdoor recreation community continues to be an incredibly important voice in moving conservation legislation and funding forward and we’re grateful for their help in the successes we saw this past year,” says Adam Cramer, CEO of Outdoor Alliance. “It’s a long-term effort to get things like this across the finish line, and public support matters greatly. We look forward to growing that momentum as we continue our efforts this year and beyond.” 

Also in 2022, Outdoor Alliance also was involved in efforts to conserve land and waterways near Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, and it worked alongside local partners to finalize a forest plan for Montana’s 3.2 million-acre Custer Gallatin National Forest that preserves and enhances recreation opportunities along with increased land protection. 

About Outdoor Alliance

Outdoor Alliance is the only organization in the U.S. that unites the voices of outdoor enthusiasts to conserve public lands. A nonprofit coalition comprised of 10 national advocacy organizations, Outdoor Alliance’s members include American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Mountaineers, the American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, the Colorado Mountain Club, and the Surfrider Foundation. By working with its member coalitions and helping mobilize the involvement of individuals to protect public lands and waters, OA helps ensure public lands are managed in a way that embraces the human-powered experience. Learn more at OutdoorAlliance.org.